AAPT Announces the 2014 U.S. Physics Team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE College Park, MD, May 21, 2014—This spring you can find America’s brightest emerging physicists at Physics Boot Camp. They come from California, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Texas. There are high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Seven of them are returning as second time members of the United States Physics Team. They will arrive in College Park, MD, later this month to prepare for the next stage of the competition to identify the world’s best high school physics students.

Nineteen students from across the U.S. have emerged through a rigorous exam process that began last January with approximately 4,277 students who participated in the Fnet=ma exam to become the 2014 U.S. Physics Team. These students will continue to train for the mentally grueling exams and lab tests they'll face at the 45th International Physics Olympiad to be held from July 13 – 21, 2014 in Astana, Kazakhstan, where more than 400 student scholars from 92 nations will test their knowledge in physics, competing with the best in the world. Over the past ten years, every U.S. Physics Team member traveling to the international competition has returned with a medal.

"The competition for a position on the U.S. Physics Team is intense and each student who participated in the 2014 selection process is deserving of recognition. They are the future of America's success in physics related fields. AAPT is honored to recognize the exceptional scholars who qualified for the team and to support their further participation in the International Physics Olympiad,” said Dr. Beth A. Cunningham, Executive Officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers.

An integral part of the U.S. Physics Team experience is the training camp. Most of the students invited to the camp are the top science student in their high school. For many, it is their first chance to meet other students who are truly their peers. The training camp is a crash course in the first two years of university physics. Students learn at a very fast pace. They have an opportunity to hear about cutting edge research from some of the community’s leading physicists. At the end of the training camp, five students will be selected to travel to Kazakhstan for the international competition.

LIST OF EVENTS:May 27 — 2014 Physics Team members arrive at the University of Maryland for their intensive training campMay 28 — Welcome Reception at the University of MarylandJune 4 — Congressional VisitsJune 6 — Five students will be chosen to represent the U.S. Physics Team at the international competitionJuly 13-21 — International Physics Olympiad in Astana, KazakhstanJuly 20 — Closing CeremonyMORE ON THE WEB Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2014/History of the physics team, including past winners: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2014/program.cfm45th International Physics Olympiad: http://ipho2014.kz/

About AAPTAAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.